1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a baby gate for selectively opening and closing a passageway. More particularly, the present invention relates to a novel structure enabling the gate to be set up in passageways previously not compatible with conventional baby gate devices.
2. Discussion of the Prior Art
Many baby gate devices are known in the prior art that may be used to selectively open and close a passageway. A conventional baby gate is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,360,191 to Carson et al. (the '191 patent). The gate shown in the '191 patent includes a pair of gate panels coupled for longitudinal adjustment in order to permit the gate to fit in passageways of varying widths. The gate of the '191 patent utilizes feet on each of the adjustable panels to be wedged against the sides of the passageway in order to frictionally fit the gate in the passageway for closing the passageway.
Such conventional baby gates operate well when both sides of the passageway are defined by walls, or otherwise present a relatively solid, flat surface for the feet to be wedged against. However, when at least one of the sides of the passageway is defined by a newel post, it is difficult to reliably wedge the feet against the newel post due to its rounded or curved side surface, and the fact that newel posts often become less stable with age allowing deflection of the post. As a result, the post is not suitable for being used as a base against which the feet of a conventional gate may be wedged.